- Date Of Birth: November 9, 1926
- Date Of Death: November 11, 2022
- State: Minnesota
Marlys Eileen (Aamot) Kohlhase was born November 9, 1926 to Elvin and Othelia (Thompson) Aamot on the family farm near Makoti, North Dakota. She and her sister Marian were particularly close throughout their lives, from dressing up barn kitties in doll clothes and singing at community events as children to shared experiences as teachers and mothers in adulthood.
Following her graduation from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, Marlys was a live-in teacher at a reform school for girls in Sauk Centre, MN. She moved to Warren, MN in 1951 where she taught Home Economics at the high school. She married Arthur H. Kohlhase, Jr. at Hope Lutheran Church in Makoti on June 30, 1956. They built a house on South 5th Street in Warren, where they raised five children. Marlys worked regularly as a substitute teacher, impressing schoolchildren of all ages with her sharp sense of hearing and extraordinary peripheral vision.
Marlys was a skillful homemaker and a talented baker; her caramel rolls, lefse, krumkake, and bars were especially cherished. She loved to sew, creating both decorative and useful items such as quilts, tablecloths, and clothing for herself and all of her children. She also cut her family’s hair; knit, embroidered, and crocheted; and enjoyed many other crafts, from decoupage to macramé.
She was active at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, serving as Sunday School superintendent, singing in the choir and various small vocal ensembles, and attending Circle. She was involved in Homemakers and Mothers Club and coordinated blood drives for the Warren area. In their retirement years, Marlys and Art delivered Meals on Wheels and she accompanied him on many trips in connection with his guardian ad litem work.
Marlys died November 11, 2022 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She was preceded in death by her husband Arthur H. Kohlhase, Jr.; parents Elvin and Othelia Aamot; brothers Karl, Wayne, Orvin, and Randall Aamot; sister Marian (Fred) Heck; and granddaughter Maria Gabrielson. She is survived by her children Linda (Todd) Gabrielson of Coon Rapids, MN; Robert Kohlhase of Irvine, CA; Charles (Anna) Kohlhase of Glendale, AZ; William Kohlhase of Berkeley, CA; and Deborah (David Foreman) Kohlhase of Athens, AL; grandchildren Lucas (Jodie Greenberg) Clawson, Sara (Daniel Martin) Lucero, James (Morgan) Gabrielson, Adam Kohlhase, and Ayla Kohlhase; and great-grandchildren Noah Clawson, Ethan Martin, Makenna Martin, and Rebekah Clawson.
